Wicked the 9th longest running show in the West End

WICKED, the West End musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, has announced the opening of its 20th new booking period, on Monday 7th September 2015 at 10.00am, with over 500,000 new tickets going on sale for performances until Saturday 5th November 2016.

“Nine years since it first opened, Wicked still has packed audiences under its spell” (Metro) and, as it flies towards its landmark 10th Anniversary Year, it is set to become the 9th longest-running show in the West End following the final performance of The 39 Steps tomorrow (5 September 2015). Having recently surpassed the run of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Wicked is also now the 19th longest-running show in West End theatre history. Information verified by The Society of London Theatre.

Acclaimed as “one of the greatest musicals of our time” (Daily Mail) and “one of the West End’s best-loved shows” (OfficialLondonTheatre.com), Wicked has already been seen by nearly 7 million people in London alone and recently played its 3750th performance at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Wicked continues to be the top choice of UK theatregoers having won the Olivier Audience Award (twice); the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Night Out; a Visit London Gold Award; and nine What’s On Stage Awards including Best West End Show (twice) and Best Musical. The UK production has also recently been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor® and is the first ever UK stage production to be Reader Recommended by Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan magazines.

Around the world, Wicked has been seen by nearly 50 million people in 13 countries and won over 100 international awards. The original Broadway production remains “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times) after nearly 12 years at the Gershwin Theatre.

Based on the international best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire that ingeniously re-imagined the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked has music and lyrics by multi Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner and Olivier Award nominee Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ by Gregory Maguire.